Wheel of Time Discussion - Spoilers(with book spoilers)

[payn]

Whats the braid pulling thing?

 

[TheSword]

I loved Game of Thrones but let’s be honest the show runners added gratuitous sex, and some pretty extreme language to what was already a pretty sexed up book. It was famous for having a lot of weiners. Genitalia in general to be fair. A lot of its appeal came from sex, grit, and shock violence.

… That ain’t Wheel of Time. I’m glad that approach hasn’t been applied. Wheel of Time can be shocking and it has adult themes but a lot of what it deals with is subtle. The fear of encroaching mental illness, thes psychological impact of slavery or imprisonment, the burden of responsibility, class struggle, the horror of war.

I just don’t see GOT dealing with this stuff. Not that it has to, to be a successful TV show. Just that a direct comparison isn’t very helpful.

 

[Mercurius]

Whats the braid pulling thing?

It was a bit of a joke among Jordan fans back in the day, because his female characters--especially Nynaeve, if I remember correctly--often tugged their braids when they were mad.

 

[payn]

IDK, the characters and conflict in WoT so far are not nearly as interesting as GoT. I know WoT has its fans, but GoT was more than just gratuitous nudity. Perhaps comparing them is unfair, but lots of folks are doing it so its getting the treatment.

 

[Mercurius]

I don't agree with that. Lanfear was different from Elaida who was different from Liandran, who was different from Moiraine who was different from Siuan. And so on. The braid tugging did get old, but the characters of the women were very different.

Maybe. It was my impression at the time, but I also had a girlfriend who was a radical feminist, underlying passages in Mary Daly books and writing my name next to them. Not sure how I'd feel today.

 

[Parmandur]

Whats the braid pulling thing?

At least one of the characters (Nyneave) has a nervous habit where she pulls her braid. And Jordan mentions this as an indicator of her mood in the text fairly often. It annoys some people.

 

[Mercurius]

The comparison between the two is inevitable, and quite understandable. Not only are they both big, epic fantasy stories, but they were compared back in the 90s. The Wheel of Time was a phenomena, at least in the fantasy world. In a way, it essentialized the epic fantasies of the 80s, and turned it up to 11. GoT came out in 1995--the heart of Jordanmania--and offered a very different approach to the traditional, epic fantasy. It also became very popular, although not as popular as Wheel of Time - at least not until the HBO series came out.

 

[TheSword]

Whats the braid pulling thing?

Nyneave has a temper, partly the result of being younger than people expect a village wisdom to be, so she feel second guessed and challenged more than others. Partly because she is a fierce protector of the Eamond’s Fielders. Partly because she has to leave behind a lot of the people she should protect to follow Moiraine, Egwene and the boys.

This temper often manifests itself as furiously tugging her extremely long braid. A bit like a stress toy. That anger is a big part of Nyneave’s character. Her mistrust of Aes Sedai has created a block that stops her being able to channel at will, even though she has the potential to be one of the most powerful channellers alive. She has to be angry to use the source, but when she is… particularly when she sees someone injured… she can work Magic that leaves even hardened Aes Sedai in open disbelief.

The point where she breaks this block and starts to accept the world and her circumstances, is a massive turning point for her character. Effectively a coming into power. Nyneave is a boss character and a favourite for many.

I always thought the criticism of the braid tugging was a bit snide.

 

[payn]

Wow, folks made a big deal of that?

 

[Parmandur]

IDK, the characters and conflict in WoT so far are not nearly as interesting as GoT. I know WoT has its fans, but GoT was more than just gratuitous nudity. Perhaps comparing them is unfair, but lots of folks are doing it so its getting the treatment.

To be honest, I haven't watched the show, only read the first four ASOIF books, but the characters in Jordan have more going on down below, while Martin's have wittier dialogue.